The decision to walk down the aisle should not be taken lightly, especially considering the daunting divorce rate. No matter how in love a couple might be, marriage can be difficult and overwhelming at times, whether life throws you curve balls or not. We all experience “bumps in the road” and even “potholes” at times. Marriage comes with amazing benefits, but it also asks a lot in return, such as commitment, openness and honesty, trust, and communication. These are skills that can take time and effort to develop, and this is the reason why premarital counseling can be invaluable. Couples and families usually invest a lot of time, energy, and money in a wedding ceremony that lasts maybe 30 minutes. Why not invest in the marriage, which is meant to last “till death do us part!”

The therapists at CFI utilize a tool called PREPARE in helping couples prepare for marriage. PREPARE is a customized couple assessment completed online that identifies a couple's strength and growth areas. It is one of the most widely used programs for premarital counseling and premarital education. Based on a couple's assessment results, the therapist provides typically 4-8 feedback sessions in which the therapist helps the couple discuss and understand their results as they are taught proven relationship skills.

Over the last 30 years, the PREPARE relationship assessment has empowered and energized more than 3 million couples. It is the #1 relationship inventory and couples assessment tool.

There are several goals of the PREPARE Program. In order to achieve these goals there are exercises designed to help couples improve their relationship skills. The program helps couples:

Explore strength and growth areas

Strengthen communication skills

Identify and manage major stressors

Resolve conflict using the Ten Step Model

Develop a more balanced relationship

Explore family of origin issues

Discuss financial planning and budgeting

Establish personal, couple and family goals

Understand and appreciate personality differences

(Please know that most insurance companies will not cover the cost of premarital counseling.)